Gun



Dec. 25, 1945. s. s. McARTHUR 2,391,636

GUN

Original Filed Nov. :50, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet l L I! nul GRAHAM .5: M=AR7ww Dec; 25, 1945. G. s. MCARTHUR GUN Original Filed Nov. 50, 1942 '5 Sheets-Sheet 3 swam/tow GRAHAM 4 Ma 4R THU/Q Patented Dec. 25, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUN Graham S. McArthur, Portland, Oreg. Substituted for abandoned application Serial No. 467,312, November 30, 1 942. This application March 20, 1944, Serial No. 527,236

1 Claim.

This invention relates to guns, and especially to rapid firing guns of large caliber. The primary object of the invention is to combine the forces of centrifugal force and combustion for the firing of projectiles.

This application is a substitute for my application Serial No. 467,312, filed November 30, 1942.

In the operation of this new and improved gun, the projectile is started through the barrel of the gun by velocity developed by centrifugal force, and it is further accelerated by gas or powder expansion timed to coordinate with the applied centrifugal force. It is believed that combining these two forces will produce greater striking power for the projectile, due to the fact that the projectile does not have to be started on its flight by the powder charge, but is only accelerated by this charge after it has acquired considerable momentum.

These and other objects will appear as my invention is more fully hereinafter described in the following specification and finally pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my new and improved gun.

Figure 2 is a slightly enlarged sectional end elevation taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction indicated.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a rotor for creating centrifugal force for projecting the projectile.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings:

The gun comprises a barrel formed integral with a cylindrical housing 2, which is mounted for rotation in a vertical plane with respect to a base 3, by means of standards 4, and horizontally mounted shafts 4A. The base 3, by means of ball-bearings 6, is manually rotatable by means of a worm 6A, carried by a shaft 1 and cooperating with a worm gear 8 secured to, or formed around, the base 3, for convenience of operation, the shaft is provided with a hand wheel 9.

A worm gear I0, is secured to, or formed around, the periphery of the housing 2, and is operatively engaged with a worm carried by a shaft |2, terminating in a hand wheel l3 for raising or lowering the gun barrel in a vertical plane.

A rotor I4, is mounted for high speed rotation without the housing 2, by means of hollow shafts I and I6, journaled within bearings I1 and I8,

respectively. The rotor is driven by a motor or other power source l9, carried by an extension 20, of the base 3, and operatively coupled with a reduced extension 6A, of the shaft l6, by means of sprocket wheels '2 l and 22, embraced by 'a sprocket chain 23. Slidably and yieldingly mounted within the hollow shaft |6, is a shaft 24, whose one end is in contact with a bell crank 25, and whose opposite end engages with a rocker arm 26. The opposite end of the rocker arm is connected with a. gate 21, slidably mounted in a thickened wall portion 28, of the rotor 4. This wall portion is radially bored as at 29. The bore terminates in the hollow shaft l5, whose outer end may be disposed adjacent any approved type of mechanism (not shown) for feeding projectiles 39, into the bore. The projectiles are released one at a time, by the gate 21, and thrown by centrifugal force into the bore of the gun barrel I.

The gate 21, is operated to open and close at properly timed intervals by means of an arm 3|, connected at one of its ends to one leg of the bell crank 25, and at its opposite end to a plunger 32, which carries a roller 33, disposed in the .path of travel of a cam 34. The cam is formed on a sprocket wheel 35, secured to the shaft 36, of a pressure generator, generally indicated at 31. The generator, through sprocket chain 31A, is driven by the motor I9, by means of a sprocket wheel 38, secured to the shaft l6, of the rotor. The pressure generator comprises a cylinder 39, mounted to a crank-case 46, in any approved manner. A piston 4|, is mounted within the cylinder and connected by connecting rod 42, with a crank-shaft 43, the crank 44, of .which is formed with a. cam 45. The crank-shaft is formed with a cam 46, cooperating with a rocker arm 41, to open and-close an air intake valve 48, in the head of the pressure generator through the medium of push-rod 49, and rocker arm 50. Arranged alongside the cylinder 39, is another cylinder 5|, having a piston 52, slidably mounted therein which is connected by a rod 53, with a rocker arm 54, whose one end is in rolling contact with the cam 45, on the crank 44. One end of the piston 52, is reduced in diameter as at 55, and terminates in a valve 56, cooperating with a valve seat 51, formed in one wall of a combustion chamber 58. The combustion chamber communicated With the gun barrel through a duct 59. A combustible fluid is fed, intermittently, into the combustion chamber through a feed pipe 60, and fuel nozzle 6|, in timed relation to the rotation of the crankshaft in the conventional manner. The piston 4|, upon moving to the left, as viewed in started on its way by the centrifugal force of the it rotor. The follow-up of the explosion is timed to add its force to the projectile in flight immediately after it is started on its way, in contrast to a projectile which is moved fromia standingstart" and propelled thereafter by the one charge of explo' sive, and wherein a percentage of the explosive is dissipated in getting the projectile started before ,the remainder oi the explosive is useable to further'. project thesame; In contrast to this, my

"invention utilizes the'en'tire force of the explosion 'to' accelerate the projectile and none of it is lost in overcomingthefinertia of the projectile since the projectile is started on its way by centrifugal force as aforesaid.

While I have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Pat- A gun comprising a cylindrical housing in open communication with a gun barrel, a rotor mounted within the housing, means for continuously rotating the rotor, the bore of said gun barrel being tangential to the periphery of the rotor, said rotor havingan axial inlet and a peripheral outlet for thepassage of projectiles therethrough,

means at said outlet for intermittently releasing the projectil'esto be thrown forwardly through the gun barrel by the centrifugal force of the rotor, a pressure generator in timed intermittent communication withjthe gun barrel and adapted to direct pressure behindthe projectile immediately upon its entrance into the gun barrel; Y

' GRAHAM s. McARTI-IUR. 

